Noninvasive Vascular Function Measurement in the Community

Background—Several methods of noninvasive vascular function testing have been suggested for cardiovascular risk screening in the community. A direct comparison of the different methods and their relation to classical cardiovascular risk factors in a large cohort is missing. Methods and Results—In 5000 individuals (mean age, 55.5±10.9 years; age range, 35 to 74 years; women, 49.2%) of the population-based Gutenberg Heart Study, we performed simultaneous measurement of flow-mediated dilation (FMD) and peripheral arterial volume pulse determined by infrared photo (reflection index) and pneumatic plethysmography (PAT) and explored their associations. All function measures were recorded at baseline and after reactive hyperemia induced by 5-minute brachial artery occlusion. Correlations between different measures of vascular function were statistically significant but moderate. The strongest association for hyperemic response variables was observed for PAT ratio and FMD (Spearman r=0.17; age- and sex-adjusted p...